Lens mount



DONALD L. W000 INYENTOR ATTORNEY Patented'Dec. 15, 1942 LENS MOUNT Donald L. Wood, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 25, 1939, Serial No. 286,386

6Claims.

This invention relates to optical systems and particularly to methods of mounting lenses;

It is an object of the invention to provide an inexpensive method of mounting lenses, particularly simple lens elements or simple achromats.

One of the necessary steps in mounting a lens or a lens element is that of "centering" for which the accepted definition is grinding the periphery of a lens or mirror to make its optical center coincide with its geometrical center." It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a method of and apparatus for centerlng a lens.

The long established procedure for centering a lens, namely, grinding it in a lathe is expensive and in some cases is subject to error due to the difficulty of properly aligning the lens in the lathe under sufilcient pressure to withstand the grinding action. The object of the present invention is to provide a way of centering a lens inexpensively and accurately.

According to the invention, a lens such as a single lens element may be optically centered inexpensively and accurately by clamping the lens in a mold with its optic axis centered in the mold and then molding a plastic rim onto the periphery of the lens (which periphery may or may not be centered on the optic axis) with the periphery of the rim centered on the optic axis of the lens. During all subsequent operations or applications to which the lens is put, it can be handled in the same manner as the lens which is centered by grinding and has the additional advantage of having a plastic rim which may have any predetermined outline and shape according to the mold used.

The periphery of the lens and/or of the rim may be any shape which has a center, such as a circle, an ellipse, a square, a rectangle. or even a triangle, although the commonest forms are of course a circle and a rectangle.

The preferable method of holding the lens in optical alignment in the mold is to clamp it with zonal clamp members from opposite sides with substantially no friction, in accordance with the invention of Arthur B. Simmons described in co pending application Serial No. 301,195, filed October 25, 1939, now Patent No. 2,259,006. A zone of a lens surface is any portion equidistant from the optic axis and hence a zonal clamp may be formed by a pair of rings pressing on opposite sides of the lens preferably but not necessarily directly opposite to each other. Instead of a zonal clamp, one which covers all of the lens except that near the periphery may be 05 used, but it is more diflicult to make such clamps without considerable friction in their grip and they must match the curvature of the lens surface accurately whereas zonal clamps fit any and all lens surfaces (including aspherical ones but not including cylindrical or other surfaces which are not surfaces of revolution about the optic axis).

With a zonal clamp, the difference in thickness of any lens between its paraxial and marginal zones will, as the clamp is applied, cause the lens .to slide to the position wherein its optic axis is centered in the clamp. Even a one dioptre spectacle lens which, of course, has very little differential in thickness over its area, will repeatedly center itself in a zonal clamp within one-thousandth or an inch. The development of zonal clamps is not part of the present invention, but is the invention of A. B. Simmons mentioned above. It is, of course, possible to vibrate or rotate the zonal clamp members to reduce the eflect of the slight friction which does existbut in general this has proven to be quite unnecessary.

The present invention is extremely useful along with those described in copending applications Serial Numbers 286,384 and 286,385, filed concurrently herewith by Crumrine, which issued as Patents 2,266,169 and 2,245,257, respectively.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows thecross section of a simple uncentered lens element.

Fig. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates a lens centered according to the invention.

In Fig. 1 a simple lens element It which may be of glass or of plastic, which may be molded or ground in the usual wr to have surfaces RI and R2 which are curved, but which is not centered, has its optic axis ii running through a point which is not coincident with the geometrical center of this element III. That is, in general the geometrical center of the lement I. does not coincide with the optic axis Ii. but of course, some samples of any particular run of lenses may be optically centered and require only to be checked in this respect. The optical center of a lens is of course the point at which it is thickest or thinnest depending on whether it is a positive or a negative element. The axial thickness of the element II is indicated by the letter f. The periphery of the lens," is not centered on theoptic axis H as is indicated by the letters HI and H2, where HI is in general not equal to H2. The present invention centers this lens, that is, makes its optic axis coincide with its geometrical center. a

The embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 2 illustrates one method of applying the present invention. In this arrangement, the lens element I is held by zonal clamp members It and IS in a molding machine consisting of an upper mold l6 and a lower mold l'l. The zonal clamp member H is formed by a ring on the end oi a piston I! carried by the upper mold i which piston I2 is forced downward by a spring l9 which is held by a plate 20 rigidly carried by the mold ll. Similarly the zonal clamp member I! is carried by a piston it moving in a cylinder in the lower clamp 11.

The position of the piston I! carrying the zonal clamp member I! may be adjusted relative to the mold I! by an adjustment'screwll having a knob 23 mounted thereon and carried by a plate 22 rigidly secured to the mold IT. The knob 23 is provided with a scale 24 and index 25 to indicate this adjustment.

Thus, according to the present invention, the lens element II is held by a zonal clamp consisting of members II and i which are prei'erably opposite to each other in a plastic molding device. While it is held in this position a suitable plastic is inserted under pressure through an in- Jection chamber TI into a chamber 26 and forms arimonthelens ll. Thisrimfl isbestseen in Fig. 3. The zonal clamp members It and I! prevent any of the plastic entering the chambers 28 on oppoflte' sides oi. the lens and hence only the periphery oi the lens comes in contact with the plastic.

In general, it is best to have the zonal clamp members II and I! come exactly opposite each other or have the member l4 slightly smaller in diameter than the member [5, since otherwise there would be a slight component of the injection pressure acting upward on the lens element In acting against the force of the spring is, When the clamp members are arranged in this manner, 1. e., directly opposite to each other or with the member ll smaller in diameter than the member IS the spring I! is relieved 0! any pressure due to that imder which the plastic is inserted to the entrance nozzle 21. II this were not the case, an extremely strong spring would have to be used at the point ll since most plastics are injected under very high pressures.

The zonal clamp members l4 and I! have substantially no friction and thus the lens element I0 moves automatically as the clamps are applied to the position in which its optic axis is centered in the zonal clamp members It and i8. I have discovered that even very weak lenses accurately center themselves in a canal clamp. The chamber 20 is arranged so that its outer surface, i. e., the cylinder in the mold i1 is concentric with the zonal clamp members l4 and II and thus the outer periphery of the mold ll (see Fig. 3), is

automatically centered on the optic axis 1 i oi'the element ll.

In Fig. 3 this centering is indicated by the test that the diameter of the lens in its n'iount is indicated by H, which diameter is the same independent of the direction in which it is measured.

BEST AVAILABLE p Obviously the invention is equally applica'o to all lenses either positive or negative, compour or simple. Although I prefer to use zonal clam; any method 01 holding the lens optically centcn in the molding device is perfectly satisiacto: as far as the present invention is concerne Furthermore any type of plastic molding machir or any type of plastic may be used, the apparz tus shown in the accompanying drawings beir merely by way of illustration, ()1 course, Fig. illustrates only part 0! the usual molding m chine, i. e., illustrates the dies themselves, In machines tor holding such dies are well know and need not be illustrated here. Also practical all molding machines are arranged so that sc eral units are molded simultaneously and in at tual practice several sets 01 dies similar to Fig, are operated simultaneously. Oi course eac chamber is, according to the invention, provide with a means for holding the lens optically cer tered in its own mold.

Having thus described one embodiment of m invention, I wish to point out that it is not 1hr ited to the specific structure shown but is of ti. scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Lettcu Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of optically centering a let having surface with algebraically different cur vatures and having its optic axis on center whic comprises placing the lens between two concer tric annular clamp members of lesser diamets than said lens, moving said clamp members tc ward each other so as to move the lens laterall relative to the clamp to center the optic ax: of the lens with respect to the axis of conccr: tricity oi the clamp members and to grip th lens after it is thus centered and molding pla: tic material about the periphery of said lens 1 a mold concentric with said clamp members an surrounding said lens.

2. The method of optically centering a le?" having surfaces with algebraically diiierent cu; vatures and having its optic axis oi"! center whiz; comprises placing the lens in a mold lisvin, peripheral molding chamber so th t peripher of the lens is surrounded said ch: all movin the lens laterally relative to said molding chambe to center the optic axis relative to said chambe: clamping the lens with the optic axis so cen tered and molding a plastic rim onto the periph ery oi the lens in said chamber whereby the pe riphery oi the rim is centered with respect i said optic aria.

3. A device for optically centering a. lens hav ing surfaces with algebraically different curve turcs and having its optic axis off center com prising annular molding means for molding rim onto the lens and means governed by th curvatures of the lens surfaces for adjusting th position of the lens with respect to the moldin means to bring the optic axis of said lens int coincidence with the axis of said molding mean and for gripping said lens and holding it in sai adjusted position during the molding omratior 4. A device for optically centering a lens hav ing surfaces with algebraically different curve tures and having its optic axis oil center com prising the combination of annular moldin means for molding a rim onto the lens an pressure actuated centering and molding mean governed by the curvatures of the lens surface and consisting of two smooth annular clemmembers concentric with one another and wit;

the molding means for clamping the lens from lsteralLv so as to center the optic axis of the lens with respect to the clamp members and to hold it so adjusted during the molding operation.

5. A device for optically centering a lens having surfaces with algebraically different curvatures and having its optic axis off center comprising peripheral molding means matching the periphery of the lens for molding a rim onto the lens and means governed by the curvatures of the lens surfaces tor adjusting the position of the lens with respect to the molding means to bring the optic axis of said lens into coincidence with the axis of said molding means and for sat-.1 less holding it in said sojusted position during the molding operation.

6. A device for optically centering a lens hav ing surfaces with algebraically diflerent curvatures and having its optic axis oi! center, comprising peripheral molding means for surrounding, and molding a rim, onto the lens and means governed by the curvatures of the lens surfaces for laterally adjusting the position 0! the lens with respect to the molding means to bring the optic axis of said lens into coincidence with the axis of said molding means and for gripp said lens and holding it in said adjusted position during the molding operation;

DONAID L. WOOD 

